September 22, 2023
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HARC 90 th Special Call Sign Promotion Event

  1. Objective: 

For HARC club member amateurs to use one of the HARC 90th Anniversary Call signs, VC1933 or VC1HARC90 at their own station, to make contact with as many other amateur radio stations as possible, working everyone anywhere in the world, as a means of publicizing and generating interest in the HARC 90th Anniversary event.

For information concerning the HARC 90th Anniversary and HARC, visit: http://www.halifax-arc.org

  1. Operating Period: 

These call signs are available from 23rd June 2023 to 20th August 2023.

  1. Operation: 

From the operators: fixed Home QTH, or fixed Portable QTH

Each assigned operator’s QSO’s are merged in to one log regardless of operation location.  Then submitted under their own personal call sign to which the Special Call Sign is assigned; for tracking.  On a scheduled, assigned basis.

Use of spotting nets (operator arrangements involving assistance through DX-alerting nets, Packet Cluster, etc) and self-spotting is permitted. 

  1. Power:  Since this is not a competition per se, operators can operate within the power limits of their licenses.
  1. Modes:  Any mode.  In three classes.

PH: phone = AM, SSB, FM

CW = Morse code telegraphy

RY: all digital modes

  1. Operating Exchange:  Call CQ HARC.  Exchange RST signal report, QTH (US State, Canadian Province, or DX)
  1. Scoring: 
  1. QSO Points: Each complete contact is worth 1 point, per band.   Dupes do not count.

(B) Multipliers: 

  1. For all stations, each of the following represents a multiplier:  US State, Canadian Province,  DXCC Entity
  2. A multiplier can be counted once per mode, per band
  3. Bonus points for working these Special HARC 90th Anniversary Call signs: VC1933,   VC1HARC90.  10 QSO (rather than 1) points, per Call Sign, once per mode, per band
  1. Final Score: 

Multiply QSO Points by total of multipliers

  1. Suggested frequencies: 

Since this is not a competition per se, any operator can operate on any band within the limits of their licenses, on any mode as per paragraph 5.  Excluding the WARC bands.

9) Miscellaneous: 

(A) Call signs and exchange information must be received by each station for a complete QSO.

(B) No cross-mode contacts; example: CW contacts must be made with another CW station.

(C) Stations may be worked once per mode, per band.  Dupes do not count

10) Reporting: 

Logs must be received no later than 7 days after the date of Call sign use.  IE: if used June 24th, submit log by 01 July.

  1. Method of submitting:
  2. E-Mail. You may submit your operating log results summary via e-mail to:  HARC90TH@gmail.com

Preferably submit in a Cabrillo format.

  1. Entrants can use the log-entry form as attached and as published on the HARC 90th Website, But, preferably submit a Cabrillo log file using contest software such as N1MM
  1. Logs must indicate band, power, mode, date, time in UTC, calls, and the sent and received RST, QTH exchanges.
  1. Logs must indicate which Special Call Sign was used; and also the Call sign of the operator from whom the log is being submitted.
  1. Final results will be posted on the HARC Website, and hopefully announced at the 90th Anniversary Gala Event.  Depending on last day the Special Call Signs are used.

11) Awards: 

  1. Certificates will be awarded to participating HARC Members, who are paid up members of HARC, as per the HARC membership list dated : 23rd June 2023 
  1. Other additional awards may be awarded at the discretion of the HARC 90th Planning Committee to HARC members

12) Criteria for requesting use of Call Sign: 

Each entrant agrees to be bound by the provisions, as well as the intent, of this announcement, the regulations of his or her licensing authority and the decisions of the HARC Planning Committee.

  • Must be a paid up member of HARC, by 23rd June 2023, start of the available use of Call Signs
  • One special call sign would be assigned to one operator, at time.  Not both.
  • any club station activities that are planned, would get first use of these Call signs
  • Time slots would be filled on a first come, first serve basis.  Changes thereafter would need to be negotiated and settled between the assigned individual; and alternate replacement… Notifying a scheduler in good time to update the on-line schedule for viewing.
  • Time slots are available in six hour segments; maximum sequential number per operator per operating session:  four x six = twenty four (24) hours…   One Day.
  • Note: if your operating through your assigned time segment, and see that the following segment slots are not used; you may request that these empty segments be assigned to enable you to continue to use the Call Sign

Review the operating schedule on the HARC website; and request use of a Call Sign by

13) QSL Cards

To be determined

14) Operating Log

Please, preferably, provide a Cabrillo copy of your station log, to HARC for evaluation, with the other logs submitted by all operators.

We recommend using N1MM, as *they* have provided a platform within their Contest Logging software to Log in this event.

We wish to thank Les, G4OGB, and the N1MM team who have kindly provided an addition to the N1MM Contest Software package.  This will allow participants to use N1MM as their logging software for this event; and generate the required Cabrillo file for submission.

N1MM can be found here: https://n1mmwp.hamdocs.com/

The use of N1MM *UDC* file instructions can be found here: https://n1mmwp.hamdocs.com/?s=.udc&post_type=page 

The *UDC* file required for the HARC QSO PARTY can be found here: https://n1mmwp.hamdocs.com/mmfiles/harcqsop-udc/

From within the N1MM logging program; follow the Menu Tree: File, then: New log in database: ham.S3db, then find and click on the below:

If this option is unavailable to an operator; their logs can be submitted manually, using the below form.

DateBand (M)ModeTime (UTC)CallsignRST ReceivedRST SentDXCC Prefix, US State, Canadian Province

15) Summary of Results

Total # QSOs Points (A)
Total # of Multiplier Mode QSOs, (B)		Total # ofUS State, Canadian Province(C)Total # of DXCC Entities (D)

Final Score = A x (B + C + D)

Final Score = Total QSO points times the sum of the number of Multipliers

We wish to thank Dave, W3KM for creating, and providing a Cabrillo Evaluator tool in his Software package; which will be used to assess the submitted logs for scoring. 

His GenLog software can be found here.  https://www.qsl.net/w3km/.  

His Cabrillo Evaluator software can be found here: https://www.qsl.net/w3km/cabrillo.htm

16) Questions

Contact by E-Mail: HARC90TH@gmail.com